DC Announces The Dark Knight Returns 3: The Master Race

Frank Miller dropped quite a bombshell on Twitter today when he confirmed reports that he's working on another sequel to the classic Batman storyline The Dark Knight Returns. Miller tweeted the following image along with the message, "I hope by now my silence is deafening."

The Dark Knight III: The Master Race is the second follow-up to The Dark Knight Returns after the 2001-2002 mini-series The Dark Knight Strikes Again. Unlike the previous two projects, Miller won't be writing and drawing this sequel on his own. Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets, Wonder Woman) is co-writing the series with Miller, and apparently the two have been collaborating for the past six months already. The Master Race will be eight issues long and will ship twice a month beginning this fall.

No artist has been named for the series so far. When rumors of a third Dark Knight comic first surfaced last December, potential candidates included Greg Capullo, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Andy Kubert and Sean Murphy.

No plot details have been revealed for The Master Race. According to those same rumors, the series will mirror the original Dark Knight Returns and focus on aging Carrie Kelly as she, like Batman before her seeks out her own superhero replacement. If those rumors are true, it may be that Bruce Wayne won't appear in this book. Based on the cover above, however, it's a safe bet the old Batman/Superman rivalry will come back into play.

Exit Theatre Mode

“Batman remains my favorite comic book hero and a sequel to Dark Knight is going to be daunting," said Miller in DC's press release, "but we’ll do our best.”

Azzarello said, “It's been an amazing experience collaborating with Frank these past six months. I think we have an epic story that these characters truly deserve.”

Are you excited at the prospect of another story set in Miller's gritty DC Universe? Let us know your thoughts on this announcement in the comments below.